


The Middle of Nulle Part

by anwise_gamgee



Category: Lord of the Rings RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-17
Updated: 2014-10-17
Packaged: 2018-02-21 12:38:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2468471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anwise_gamgee/pseuds/anwise_gamgee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sean is a novelist who has planned a trip to the countryside of France to find inspiration for his work.<br/>But as he finds himself lost in a tiny village, his insecurities are put to the test...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Middle of Nulle Part

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: French language and bad English spoken by French people ;)  
> Also, I wrote this like 5 years ago :p

'Er... _Bonjour, excusez-moi_ , I'm looking for... I mean... _je cherche le... hôtel._ Do you know where I could...'

The American man, the “Ricain” as the people in this French village called him, had been looking for his hostel for half an hour now, which was really surprising considering the size of the village.  
The old woman sitting on a chair on the pavement looked at him. He had decided she must know of each and every pebble that was misplaced in the little town, and so he had asked her where his hostel was.  
She had the typical face of the old people of the country side: all wrinkled and looking twice her age. She was wearing a flower-designed blouse, and her crooked hands were knitting a piece of garment.

'Madam?' he asked again.

She smiled, half-mocking, half-pitying him, and said:

' _Ah, mon pauv' monsieur, l'hôtel il est fermé, y a pu qu'le camping maint'nant. Hein ? Vous comprenez ?_ No hotel, camping!'  
'Oh, I see... Thank you, er... _Merci beaucoup, madame, bon journée_ ,' he said, trying his best not to sound too American, but of course, that was no use.

No hostel, just a campground. Fine. He had no trailer, no tent, and not even a sleeping bag. His holiday in France started the worst possible way, thought the overly maniac Sean Astin as he climbed back behind the wheel of his shiny German car.

***

Sean hesitated, he could easily drive out of the village and to a bigger town, but he really wanted to see more of the “typical” countryside. The man at the agency where he had rent his car had told him this part of the country was not very welcoming with tourists, but that was precisely what he wanted.  
He had first thought that the inspiration he needed for the characters of his book should come from city-dwellers. But he did not want to be one of the thousand writers that wrote about Paris. No, he needed authenticity. Roughness even. France was not known to be very kind to the American people, and that was what had inspired him.  
Of course, no matter how much Sean loved his career as a novelist, the perspective of two months all alone in a completely foreign and potentially unwelcoming country was still somewhat complicated for him to accept. Sean Astin loved his comfort: his small flat in Manhattan, the daily routine of his life; he even liked being a thirty-two-years-old bachelor, not really caring about romance or sex in general. Well, not true. He did care about sex, he was simply used to taking care of himself, not knowing what kind of person was his “type”, and so on.  
So, as he sat behind the steering wheel, Sean was making what seemed to him to be a great decision: would he stay there, in the middle of nowhere, or would he drive to the next town? Yes, he was exhausted, and yes, he had had his fill of winding roads for a century, but he also wanted to sleep on a real bed, with a real roof above his head, and – above all – a real bathroom.  
He turned the key in the starter: no more gas. Sean's head dropped slowly on the wheel and he let out what sounded more like a sob than a sigh.

*

' _Eh, y a un mec qui pionce dans sa bagnole, là !_ '

Elijah looked up, not really caring. His brother, Zach, was always taking in every detail of his surroundings, when he himself was only passing through it. His father used to say he was 'floating' among them, never really touching the ground.

' _Et alors ? Laisse-le dormir._ '

Really, he thought, what was the matter? If the guy had decided he wanted to sleep in his car, he was not going to object. They really were in no position to, anyway. But well, the man had a strange way of sleeping: first, it was not the end of the afternoon yet, then he was sprawled forehead first on the wheel. As he looked closer, Elijah noticed the man was not sleeping, but more likely moaning to himself.  
He tapped on the window, and the man's head jerked up. He blinked twice, then, fidgeting a little with the button, he opened the electric window.

'Hi... er, _bonjour_ ,' he said, 'could you tell me... er... _je cherche... gas... oil... essence !_ ' he exclaimed triumphantly, glad to have found the French word again.  
'Oh... you... English?'  
'American. Do you understand English?'  
'A little. You want... for your car? No _essence_ here, nothing. Just old people and cows!'

Sean laughed. The boy must have been barely eighteen. This was not the image he had of the perfect young Frenchman: he wore clothes too large for him, there were a few stains on them, and his hair was a mess. But his skin seemed clean enough, and was surprisingly pale. The other boy beside him looked the same, only a shade darker.

'My brother... Zach. Me: Elijah. You?'  
'I'm Sean.'

The young man smiled. Sean could not help but smile back.

'We... euh... we live there,' he said, pointing to some trees behind him. ' _Caravanes_. You see?'

Sean looked in the direction of the trees but saw nothing. He supposed Elijah was talking of the campground of the village and that they were a group of French vacationers.

'If you want, you can euh... see us.'  
' _Qu'est-ce que tu dis, Lij?'  
'Ben qu'y peut v'nir nous voir, apparemment il a pas d'essence, et sûrement pas d'quoi dormir.'  
'Ben c'est pas une raison, on l'connaît pas.'  
'Oh, il a pas l'air bien méchant._

Sean was listening to the boys talking, but he did not understand everything. Apparently Zach disapproved of Elijah's offer, though Sean himself did not really understand what the offer was exactly.

'We're not bad, you know. We can help you.'  
'I... I understand, thank you very much. I just don't know what I'm going to do yet.'  
'You have a drink with us, okay?'

Sean hesitated, then got off the car and locked it carefully with the remote. He wanted “typical”, right? It seemed he was going to get it.

***

When they arrived at the camp, Sean realized the mistake he had made: they had nothing to do with vacationers, they were nomads, or gypsies, or anyway, people he had never meant to share a drink with. He had nothing against them, really, it was just that to end up cut up into pieces by a family of travellers was not on the top list of the things he wanted to do before he was forty. No, he thought, this is stupid, they seem very nice. Just a bit... dirty.  
As if reading his thoughts, Elijah turned back and looked at him, then said:

'No worry. We not going to hurt you and take your money!'  
'I didn't say...'  
'I know, but people... People think we're bad. But we're not.'

And he smiled. And then again, Sean could not help but smile back. There was something strangely attractive about that boy. He had a lovely smile, and piercing blue eyes, and the way he walked was just too sexy to be true. “Wow, wow, wow! Cool down Sean, first he's a boy, maybe not of age yet, and yes! a boy! Maybe you've been on your own far too long if you get excited about the first youngster who smiles to you.” 

'I euh... present you, okay? This is my mother, and my sister, Hannah. This is grandma. Her and Hannah sleep here.' he designated one of the three old caravans that were parked around a small metal table and six chairs.  
Hannah smiled shyly at Sean, and her mother looked at him from head to foot. The grandmother looked dubiously at him, and then smiled, revealing a few gold teeth.  
'And this is father. He and mum sleep there, and me and Zach sleep here.'  
'Hum, er... _Bonjour, et m... merci beaucoup pour l'invitation._ ' Sean said to the group. Then, turning to Elijah, he said:   
'I won't stay long. I need to find a place to stay.'  
'You have a tent?'  
'No.'  
'No gas, and no tent: you're euh... you can't go nowhere. You stay with us? I ask dad.'

And before Sean could reply, Elijah turned to his father:

' _P'pa, c'est Sean, il est américain, il sait pas où dormir et il a pu d'essence. Il peut rester avec nous, non ?'  
'Il peut pas aller au camping, comme tous les touristes ?'  
'Ben il a pas de tente ni rien. Allez, c'est bon, il est sympa.'  
'Ca c'est à moi d'en juger._'

Elijah turned to Sean and said:

'Dad say you must go to camping, and I say you can't. I say you nice guy, and he say “I decide if he is nice guy or no.” So I don't know.'  
'Really, that's very nice, but...'  
'It's okay, he'll be okay. Dad is not bad, just worry about people, you see.'  
'I guess he has to take care of the family. No, really, that's very nice of you, but I don't want to be a burden.'  
'What?'  
'I mean... _Je ne veux pas gêner. Merci beaucoup._ '  
' _Tu vois, y veut pas d'nous !_ ' said Elijah's father.  
'Father say you don't want to be with us. Please, have a drink.'  
'Your father doesn't want me to...'  
' _Allez !_ ' pleaded Elijah, and Sean could not say no to his brilliant smile.

He took a sit around the table, just beside his young guide, so close he could feel his warmth and smell the soap in his hair. Hannah sat on Zach's lap, and he held her protectively, silently observing the new-comer. Elijah had the bad habit to trust anybody, and often his brother had had to get him out of trouble. If he had his head a bit less in the clouds and his feet a bit more on the ground, things would certainly be more simple for all of them. Especially since he had discovered Elijah had _that_ tendency towards men. It was something uncommon among gypsies, but no one said anything. Elijah had always been special, and he was accepted as he was.  
But really, that American man was way too old! And Elijah was barely twenty! Zach decided he would watch closely over him, just to be on the safe side.

Elijah leaned in and handed a glass full of some undefined liquid to Sean. As he brushed against the man, Sean tried to control his thoughts. This would not do.

'Here, drink,' smiled the boy.  
'What is it?'  
'You'll see.'

Sean was dubious, but, as he was more and more convinced that the young man was some sort of heavenly creature, he drank without asking any more questions. And he thought that was the last thing he would do.

' _Eh ben, pas bien résistant le gars,_ ' laughed Elijah's father.  
'What... what is this?' Sean asked between coughing fits.  
'Dad's special. A secret.'  
'Hum, well... _merci, je... ce sera tout pour moi, s'il vous plaît._ '

Everyone laughed. Sean should have felt hurt to be laughed at in such a way, but strangely, he thought that must be some sort of ritual of acceptance. He had drunk the strong liquor, that meant he was welcome.

' _Bon, allez, dit à ton américain qu'il peut dormir ici s'il veut. Il partagera votre caravane._ '  
'Dad say you can sleep with us, with Zach and me.'

Elijah looked at him with such expectant eyes that Sean did not have the heart to say no. And he had nowhere to go anyway.

***

Sean had fetched his suitcase. He was still not really sure about his safety, but every time he looked at the young man, he could not help but think it was all right. But, he thought, maybe he's some kind of male Esmeralda, and I've gone and got trapped into his nets and... quit it Sean, you're just being ridiculous!

'We cook in mum and dad caravan, and the washing in grandma and Hannah. In our caravan, Zach and me, we put the table when it's cold, or rain. Today is good, so it's out, but at night we put the table and chairs inside. You'll have my bed.'

Sean's heart stopped for a quarter of second.

'And I'll sleep with Zach. Is it okay?'  
'Yes, sure. Thank you very much.'

“You fool, what did you think? And since when are you interested in young gypsy men, anyway?”

When the evening fell, the whole family and Sean sat around the table to eat. It was quite a simple meal, grilled meat with vegetables, nothing fancy of course, but far more better than what Sean had feared. Once again, Elijah seemed to have read his mind, and he said:

'See, it was not so bad, eh?'  
'Yes, very good, er... _C'était très bon, merci beaucoup_ ,' Sean said, tapping his mouth with a paper napkin. Then, turning to Elijah, he added: 'Would it be very impolite to pay you for the meal?'  
'Yes, very,' said the young man quite seriously, but smiling nonetheless.  
Then, he turned to his mother and asked:  
' _M'man, j'emmène Sean faire un tour, il a pas vu toutes les vaches._ Come, Sean, I'll show you around.'  
'What about my... er... _ma valise_ ?'  
'I swear, it still be here when you're back.'

And he grabbed Sean's hand and led him out of the camp. The night fell really late in July, and the atmosphere was quiet and warm. At some point, Elijah let go of Sean's hand.

'We don't have a French name for Sean. How do you say Elijah in English?'  
'Er... We say _EeLaidjah_ , I don't think I can pronounce your name correctly in French.'  
'Try it, it's easy. _Élijah, Ééé-liii-jaaah._ '  
' _Ei-lee-djaaah._ '  
'Almost! I think you're good in French.'  
'Not bad yourself,' smiled Sean. ' _et... Où est-ce qu'on va ?_ '  
'The church. I hope we could take your car and see more, the landscape is good here.'  
'Yeah, too bad I'm out of gas.'  
'Dad will drive you to the gas station tomorrow.'

Sean stopped. Elijah turned around:

'What?'  
'Why didn't you say so earlier? I could have...'  
'I wanted to keep you here,' Elijah said simply.  
'What? Why?'  
'I don't know. It's all right, we won't take your money. I like you.'

Sean did not know what to say, nor what to do. Obviously, the young man made him feel... made him feel like he had not felt for a long time. But that was not a reason to trust him without thinking.

'You stay a night here, it'll be fun, and then you go if you want. People don't like us. We just live as we can, we try to be okay, to be no trouble. Believe me.'  
'Elijah, I... I'm just not used to trust anybody like that, I'm always freaking out at anything, always uneasy in a new situation, and this is a bit too much for me.'

Elijah stared at him.

'Repeat please, I didn't...'  
' _Je... ne suis pas habitué à er... faire confiance aux gens. Je suis très..._ nervous. You see?'  
'You mean... afraid?'  
'Yes, in a way.'  
'Of me?'  
'Of you, and of what you make me feel,' Sean answered without thinking.

But Elijah seemed to get it wrong, as he said:

'Because we're gypsies? But you can trust us! We're nice, really!'  
'I know. I'm sorry, it's just how I am, I can't help it... _Je peux pas l'empêcher_ ,' he added, trying to be clear.

Elijah smiled shyly, took his hand, and they walked again. Sean was afraid to pronounce a single word. He felt the small fingers entwined with his own, and he shuddered. This was the most intimate contact he had had with someone since what seems like centuries. He should have tried to have lovers during all those years instead of just working, working, and working again. If he had, he would not feel so helpless right now.  
They reached the church. It was closed at that hour, and Elijah laughed:

'God went to sleep,' he said.  
'Seems so.'  
'The only interesting thing in the village, and it's closed.'  
'We'll go tomorrow if you want,' Sean said in a quiet voice.

Elijah seemed to blush and asked:

'Do you have the key of your car?'  
'Yes, but it's useless, you know.'  
'I don't want to drive.'

This time Sean's heart had good reasons to stop as Elijah pressed Sean's hand more tightly and smiled suggestively.  
Without a word, they walked up to the car.

***

His hand shook a little as he pressed on the remote. Elijah jumped eagerly on the back seat of the car, and Sean sat nervously beside him. Elijah took the key and pressed the button.

'There, we're locked in,' he grinned. But this only made Sean feel even more uncomfortable. He did not know what he was doing at the back of this car with that stranger, not quite an adult yet, on the side of a tiny road with just cows and a few houses around. The night was falling slowly, but it was still daylight, and though they were in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, Sean feared someone might see them and call the police. Elijah might be of age, but he certainly did not look it. As those thoughts were going on through his mind, Sean began to shake all over.  
Elijah put his right hand on Sean's heart and said:

'You afraid?'  
'I... Elijah, what are you doing? What am I doing?'  
'You wanted it, no?'

Sean did not reply, and the boy took it as a yes, for he took his T-shirt off, revealing a creamy-white chest. Sean gasped and averted his eyes.   
This must be some sort of trap: Elijah was diverting Sean while his family took his belongings, and when he would be exhausted after Elijah's performance, the boy would take his wallet and they would run off in the night, and he would be left with nothing in the middle of that desert-like place.  
Yes, that must be it. “Oh, come on Sean, this is no third-world destitute country, just France, for pity's sake!” Well, to him, Mumbai's slums had no reason to envy this place. Okay, maybe that was a bit too much, but Sean felt he was going to faint, and his thoughts were not making any sense any more.

'Sean? You okay? You look... pale.'  
'I... I need some air.'  
'Do I open the window?'  
'Let me out, please, please, let me out!' he breathed.

Elijah unlocked the doors and Sean got off the car. He felt the fresh air in his lungs and on his skin and he started to calm down. Just an hour ago he would have killed to find himself alone with Elijah. But as always, things were far more simple, and above all _safer_ , when just fantasized.  
Elijah got out of the car and walked to him.

'Are you okay? You changed your mind?'  
'I don't know. Elijah, this is not a trap, right?'  
'What?'  
'This is no... _piège_ , is it?'  
'Of course not! If you don't want, it's okay, I'll just... I thought... You looked at me like...'

Without thinking, Sean grabbed him and kissed him, right on the lips. Elijah's mouth opened to let Sean's tongue in and his hands began to search under the man's clothes.  
They did not realize that they had gone back inside the car. Once again, Elijah locked the doors. The light was almost gone.   
Sean sat in the middle of the back seat, with Elijah on his lap. They were kissing, again and again.

'Is that what you call “French kiss”?' asked the young man.  
'Oh, it's even better than that!'

They resumed kissing, and clothes were lost in the process, scattered on the carpeted floor of the car. It was such a strange sensation to have that naked young man pressed against him, rocking his hips and stroking Sean wherever he could reach.

'Ah, yes, Lijah, yes!'  
'Do you have... _je sais plus comment on dit..._ '  
'Condoms?'  
'Yes!'

An awkward moment followed when Sean tried to find his wallet through the heap of clothes without letting Elijah out of his lap. The boy almost slid off of him and burst into fits of giggles. This almost had Sean undone.  
He found a condom at last, and asked:

'Do you... want me... or you?'  
'You, put it, you!' breathed the young man.

Sean kissed him again, then kissed his shoulder: his skin tasted of salt, soap, and spices. It was the most delicious skin he had ever tasted. Okay, maybe he had never tasted so many, but it was delicious anyway.  
He quickly put on the condom, trying not to fumble too much, and Elijah stared at him. It seemed the boy was lost in the depth of Sean's golden eyes, as his fingers were lost in the golden curls.  
Sean took hold of Elijah's thin hips and help him up, then, slowly, guided him down and around himself. The air inside the car was moist and hot, and inside Elijah, Sean felt the same. He gritted his teeth, but a gasp came out of his mouth anyway.  
Elijah never stopped looking in Sean's eyes, as if mesmerized ; he certainly felt pain, but he did not show it. When Sean hit the spot inside him, near his prostate, Elijah's eyes went wide, or even wider, and he gasped in turn.

'You okay?'  
' _Oui, oui ! Recommence !_ '  
'What? What did I do?'  
' _Ugh, j'sais pas, refais-le ! Là ! Oui, là ! Oh, oh..._ '

Sean moved a little and hit it again. Elijah wriggled on his lap. Up and down he went, and Sean took hold of his penis, stroking as best as he could.

'Yes, oh, yes, Elijah!' Sean cried when he came at last.  
' _Ah ! Oui ! Sean ! Sean !_ ' followed Elijah.

Their breaths began to calm down, Elijah's head rested on Sean's shoulder, his hands making lazy circles on the moist skin of the man's back. Sean was about to make a joke about the rental agency of the car and the mess they had just made, when there was a tap at the window.  
Elijah groaned.

'Must be Zach,' he sighed.

Sean's mind went crashing back down on earth.

***

Elijah's brother, looking as angry as can be, was standing outside the car. As if he was not naked and sitting in Sean's lap, Elijah opened the window and asked:

' _Qu'est-ce qu'y a ?'  
'P'tain, Elijah, qu'est-ce que tu fous ? Maman s'inquiète, et mémé a déjà jetté du sel sur tout le campement pour chasser le mauvais sort ! Tu rentres immédiatement. Et lui il reste là !_'

Elijah turned to Sean and explained:

'My mother is worry, and grandma, too: she euh... she put salt everywhere, to make evil go away.'  
'Hum, maybe it's time you went home,' Sean said, groping for his clothes.  
'Yeah. And Zach say you don't come. But I'll convince him, okay?'

Then, he turned to Zach and said:

' _C'est bon, il va venir. Il dormira dans mon lit, et moi je dormirai avec toi.'  
'Après c'que vous v'nez de faire ? Je partages pas mon lit avec toi !'  
'Ben il dormira avec moi alors. Par contre tu dis rien à p'pa, d'accord ?_'

Zach sighed and walked away. From what Sean had understood, Zach did not want to share his bed with Elijah after what they had done together. But that was probably some kind of joke between them.  
Zach was gone, and Sean's first reaction was to get dressed as quickly as possible. His head was spinning round, he did not know what to do with himself, not to mention the boy sitting in his lap. But Elijah showed no intention of moving. He settled himself more comfortably against Sean and sighed of pleasure.

'You'll sleep with me, I promise. But don't tell father, okay? Zach will agree.'  
'Are you sure?'  
'Yes, of course. He's nice. Just a bit... euh, protective.'  
'I see.'

Elijah kissed him again, and Sean began to relax. But no, really, he should not relax! This was the last thing he had imagined when he had first thought about going abroad. He had thought about the problem of language, of comfort, of food, of weather, but not about the problem of sexy young gypsy hitting on him (and succeeding). This was unsettling, and yet, he could not help but feel that this was not so wrong after all. It had all happened so naturally, how could it possibly be wrong?

'Sean? What do you think?'  
'Hum?'  
'You look... distant.'  
'I don't know, Elijah, I don't even know how old you are and...'  
' _Bon diou ! Qu'est-ce qui fiche devant mon champs c'ui-là ?_ '

The lovers looked up. At the window stood a man with a thick moustache and a very red face. Elijah gasped and grabbed his clothes. Sean did the same and clumsily tried to get dressed.

'It's a peasant,' Elijah whispered to Sean. 'We call him Père Jean. Not very nice guy.'  
' _Qu'est-ce qu'tu fous là, p'tit voyou ? P'tite pédale ! Tu fais pas tes cochonneries là, c'est compris ? Saloperie de gitan !_ '

Elijah did not take time to translate, but Sean understood that the peasant did not approve at all of finding a car full of two naked men in front of his field. Not to mention the fact that Elijah was a gypsy.

Sean got out of the car, the man looked at him and shrugged.

' _Eh ben, il est classe c'ui-là ! Tu les fais payer en plus ? On veut pas de p'tites putes dans ton genre ici !_ ' the man said to Elijah.

The young man was about to translate, when Sean raised his hand to keep him quiet.

'I know, he called you a prostitute. _Monsieur,_ ' he said to the man in what he wanted to be a calm voice, ' _je suis désolé pour le... er... trouble. Ce jeune homme et moi ne faisions rien d'illégal._ '

Nothing illegal, or so I hope, thought Sean. Of course, he had not paid Elijah, but he was not sure at all of Elijah's age. 

' _Ah, un étranger, en plus,_ ' said Père Jean. 'You go away,' he said in a very bad English. 'You take your car... away!'

Sean explained to him that he was out of gas, and that he would be able to remove the vehicle the next day. This did not seem to satisfy the man, but he left anyway, throwing a few more curses at Elijah, who seemed not to care at all.

'I'm sorry for that,' Sean said at last.  
'Don't. My fault.'

Sean was about to protest, but Elijah said:

'We go to bed? I'm really tired.'  
'Aren't we going to have trouble? Your family will be worry, and you can't possibly tell them the truth about...'  
'Okay, no problem.'

There was a silence. Elijah took Sean's hand and locked the car, then handed the key back to Sean.   
The whole situation was so unreal. He was really not the kind of man who had sex so soon after meeting someone. And there, just a few hours had passed since he had met Elijah! He did not even know his last name, they had nothing in common, and maybe ten years of age difference... and it was all terribly exciting.

Sean was lost, confused, and tired. At his side, Elijah hummed a low tune. When they reached the camp, all the lights were out. Elijah groped for the handle of the door, and as he slowly opened it, he whispered:

'By the way, I'm twenty-one. You reassured?'

Sean did not know whether he should be or not.

***

Inside the caravan, it was not as dirty as he had feared. There was not much room, but it was quite nice, even 'cosy' to Sean's opinion. The folding table and chairs were put against a wall, there were two bunk beds and a few more pieces of furniture. In a corner stood a tiny cubicle which stood for a bathroom, with a toilet and a shower.

'I'll take a shower,' whispered Elijah.

Sean cast a worried glance around him : he did not like to be left alone – even if in that case 'left alone' was a bit of an exaggeration – in an unknown environment. He spotted Zach, who was obviously trying to sleep in the upper-bed, and his suitcase, lying on the lower-bed.  
With a small hesitation, he fumbled to open it, found his pyjamas and a towel, and took his toilet bag out. He did not try to see if anything was missing, for everything was still in the exact place he had left it, and he was beginning to trust these people. Well, of course, shagging the youngest son of the family in the back-seat of his car had had a sort of influence on him, that was obvious. But still, he felt a bit more relaxed, and on a Sean-scale, that was already a lot. With all his hygiene items on his lap, Sean sat on the bed, waiting for his turn to go in the bathroom.  
In his head, things were going wild : _What the hell am I doing here? This is not at all what I had planned. How could have this happened? I should have been more careful about the gas, I knew I would be low on it by the end of the day. Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod, I'm not supposed to be here, with that perfect stranger! How can he take things so easily? What does he see in me? And this is not going to help me write my book at all. Or is it? Is it? Oh, damn it, let's live dangerously once in your life whiny-Seanie!_  
He let out a sigh just as Elijah was coming out of the cubicle.

'Your turn,' he whispered with a bright smile, and walking up to Sean, he kissed his cheek.  
'I... ok. _Je... merci beaucoup._ '

And grabbing his stuff, he went inside. He found it a bit difficult to adjust to the lack of room in the cubicle, but he managed to take his clothes off and get inside the shower, which must have been the smallest he had ever seen. His first thought had been to try and consider the situation as a kind of adventure, but he felt too tight in the small space of the shower : the old shower curtain stuck to his skin, his elbows kept banging in the walls, and the flow of the water was too slow.  
He managed to wash up, but by the end of his shower, when he turned off the water, he found himself crying silently. He sat down on the toilet seat, wrapped up in his towel, and took his head in his hands. It had taken him quietly, probably because of exhaustion and confusion, and he found it hard to stop.

' _Hé !_ ', came a whispering voice on the over side of the small door. ' _ça va ?_ I mean... you ok in here?'  
'Erm, yes, I....'

But the door (that you could not properly lock, of course) opened slowly, and Elijah appeared. Sean tried to wipe his eyes, but it was too late. The young man closed the door and crouched at Sean's feet (yes, there was room enough for him to do _that_!).

'What's wrong? You regret?'  
'I... I don't know. I'm ridiculous, sorry.'  
'Don't be, it's ok, you can be afraid!'  
'I've never... I mean I've never done this with a man, and I don't know how this could have happened, and I don't know who you are, and I don't know what to do.'

He had spoken a bit fast, and Elijah took time to understand everything. Then, still whispering small reassuring words, he wrapped both arms around Sean's middle and laid his head on Sean's lap.

'I don't know what to do me too. I know that I don't want you go. I want you here. Or me with you. This is crazy, because I don't know you. But that's it. I feel so good with you, like it's normal.'  
'I... I feel the same. And it scares me.'  
'Why? Because I'm a... gypsy?'  
'No!' Sean whispered a bit louder 'I just... I'm a kind of safety-guy and...'  
'I don't understand,' Elijah interrupted him.  
'Oh, er... _Je... je suis un genre... j'aime être..._ safe, er... _en sécurité._ '  
'You mean, like, you like comfort and all?'  
'Yes.'  
'And you scared because you sleep here? Too dirty for you?'

Now Elijah had let go of Sean and was standing back. He looked really angry.

'No no no no!' Sean whispered urgently 'no, I just... I tend to panic when things are not going as I planned. Well, I had not much planned my trip in France, for I wanted to challenge myself a bit, but _this_ I had certainly not planned!'

As Elijah look puzzled, Sean repeated slower, and added a few French words to help him understand.  
'... and I'm scared because I don't know why, I don't want to lose you.' he added.  
'Oh, Sean!'  
' _P'tain, z'allez la fermer!_ ' came Zach's voice, ' _j'veux pioncer moi!_ '  
'It's time we go sleep,' Elijah whispered, giggling.

Grabbing Sean's hand, he guided him in the small bed and lay down beside him. He pressed very close, both because of the lack of room and to hold Sean tight. The man had not fallen asleep skin to skin in what seemed liked centuries, and he relaxed instantly. Sleep came easily after that.

***

When Sean woke up, he found himself alone in an unknown bed. He could not see very well, the sun had not risen yet. A rush of panic ran through him, and he sat bolt upright. He stifled a curse as he banged his head into something. He heard a grown coming from above his head. And then he remembered : his car out of gas, the caravan, Elijah...   
Elijah. The boy he had met the day before, the boy he had had sex with. Well, obviously this had not been a dream.  
His hurting forehead and the sound of a flushed toilet brought him back to reality. The door of the cubicle opened and he appeared. Elijah. Even in the dim light, the sight of him made Sean's breath catch in his throat. The young man smiled and slipped in the bed beside Sean.

' _Désolé si... euh..._ sorry for waking you, needed to piss.'  
'It's not morning yet?' Sean asked, confused.  
'No, middle of the night. Always got to piss at this hour.'

Sean smiled. How could something like _that_ make him smile? Well, some things you should not try to explain.  
The young man snuggled up to him, turning his back to him and wrapping himself in Sean's arms, and Sean never felt so glad to have been woken in the middle of the night. To be woken up and reminded he was sleeping with the young man so close to him was a delight he would never have suspected to exist.  
He sighed in satisfaction, and Elijah wriggled so that his behind fitted to Sean's crotch. Both feeling comfortable once again, they fell asleep in a sort of lazy but exhilarated bliss.

...

Sean was sitting in a circle formed by Elijah's family. They had had breakfast together, and now Elijah's father had taken his guitar and was playing a lively tune. Zach and his mother were singing and Hannah and Elijah were dancing in the middle of the circle, giggling and bouncing to the music, while the grandmother was clapping her hands. Sean felt he had never seen something more beautiful, and he felt ashamed of himself for not trusting these people in the first place.  
When the music stopped, though, every eyes turned to him, and he felt uneasy once more. The father spoke up, solemn, and Elijah translated:  
'Father says he's going to drive you to the gas station, where you can buy what you need.'  
'That's very nice of him. _Merci beaucoup pour toute ce que vous faites pour me aider._ '  
'He says he hope you had a good time and, euh... see us differently now. Like, you trust us.'  
'I do, I do!' Sean replied urgently.  
'He wish you good luck for your book and your trip, and say to take good care of me.'  
'Of course, I... What?!'  
There was a silence, and then Elijah laughed.  
'I'm going with you. On your trip.'  
'But...'  
'You need someone to show you around, no?'  
'Yes, but still...'  
'And to get you out of trouble,' Elijah added with a smile.  
'Aren't you more likely to get me _in_ trouble?' Sean teased.  
'Ah, I'll just pretend I didn't understand that.'

Grabbing Sean's hand, Elijah pulled him up. His father took his guitar and began to play once more. Zach sang, his mother and grandmother clapped their hands, and as Elijah made Sean twirl around, he could hear Hannah laughing light-heartedly. But no matter how clumsy he might look, Sean did not feel insecure, not this time. For what he could see reflected in Elijah's blue eyes was enough to boost his self-esteem for the next decade.  
“That should be enough,” he thought, and hearing Elijah's giggle as they danced, he knew that is was even more than that.


End file.
